<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>All That is Gold // Steve Rogers by lilyanderson</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26260270">All That is Gold // Steve Rogers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyanderson/pseuds/lilyanderson'>lilyanderson</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>All That is Gold // Steve Rogers [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:26:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,108</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26260270</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyanderson/pseuds/lilyanderson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Determined to use the powers that hydra bestowed upon her for good, Esther joined the Avengers team after years of hiding. Everybody but Steve is impressed by her, and after two years of being on the team, it seemed a friendship with him was a pipe dream. But a near death experience is about to change everything.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>All That is Gold // Steve Rogers [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907893</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>All That is Gold // Steve Rogers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This series takes place in a non-canonical avengers world, if it isn’t obvious. Esther is an empath (she can feel what others are feeling &amp; control their emotions) and has healing/strength powers. Although it’ll be addressed in later chapters, the necklace I refer to her wearing blocks her empathy powers. This is my first marvel fic so please be kind :) I don’t have a beta reader so apologies for any glaring mistakes.</p><p>I also post this on my tumblr account.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Esther, look out!“</p><p>   The warning came just seconds too late. It had all happened too quickly. The bullet had found its target, piercing her stomach and throwing her backwards on impact, before she could think about dodging. Her back slammed against the wall behind her, knocking the wind out of her already stinging lungs as she slumped down onto the floor with a surprised cry. Hands instinctively flew to the wound, palms becoming saturated with the sticky, crimson blood seeping through her black suit.</p><p>   Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she could feel trickles of it sliding down the back of her neck as her body convulsed on the snowy ground. The cold November air still stung at her cheeks and the wetness of the ground that soaked her suit made her shiver, but in spite of that, her skin felt like somebody had drenched her in lighter fluid and a lit match to it. Biting down hard on her lip, enough to draw blood, she forced back the involuntary whimpers as her body fought to heal.</p><p>   Around her, the fight continued.</p><p>  The mission was supposed to be a quick, in and out - she would distract the hydra agents, control their emotions long enough for the three men to get the information they needed and get back out again. But somehow their infiltration had been anticipated, and they were greeted with dozens of agents ready and waiting.</p><p>   "Esther, you good?” came Steve’s calm, levelled voice through the earpiece.</p><p>   "All good,“ she spoke back, through gritted teeth, "don’t worry about me, Cap’.”</p><p>   She knew something didn’t feel right - healing never took this long, and it had certainly never been this painful. The bullet was still lodged in her abdomen, she had no way of knowing if it had splintered or not, and she could only assume it was to blame for the slow, or lack of, healing process. But for the sake of the success of the mission, she tried to stay silent and white-knuckle it.</p><p>   Concentrating on anything other than the gaping, bloody hole in her stomach, Esther focused on the snow. It was still coming down pretty heavy, covering the tracks made by the ongoing fight, only to be ruined again as somebody stomped through it, or as a hydra agent hit the floor. Her mind cast itself back to earlier that day, as she and Natasha had giggled like two naughty school girls, hiding just outside the quinjet, ready to ambush Bucky and Steve as they approached, with armfuls of snowballs. She thought about how even Steve, ever the stern leader, had lit up as he and Bucky were relentlessly pelted. And the giddiness she had felt as she and Natasha lay side by side, shrieking with laughter as they created snow angels with their shivering bodies.</p><p>   It was definitely a stark contrast to what was unfolding now.</p><p>   Smiling to herself at the memories, Esther hadn’t noticed that her eyes had fluttered closed, head lolling against the cold brick behind her. The wound still hadn’t healed itself, and the snow around her was stained scarlet. There was no way of knowing how much blood she’d lost, but given the way she was losing the strength to keep herself upright, a lot would be a good guess.</p><p>   "Esther, don’t go to sleep on us, okay?“ Steve spoke again, this time unable to keep his concern from seeping into his tone.</p><p>   Eyelids impossibly heavy, Esther desperately fought to stay conscious. Steve was still speaking, growing more frantic with each passing moment, in her ear, but he sounded so far away now - as did the fight. The temptation to just close her eyes again, just to rest for a moment, was too much. Everything hurt, her entire body crying out as it still struggled, and failed, to heal. <em>I’ll just sleep for a little bit</em>, Esther thought, letting unconsciousness envelop her, like a warm blanket.</p><p>   "Fuck! Sam,” Steve shouted through the chaos of the fight, too entangled in a brutal fist fight with a surprisingly strong hydra agent to get to her, “get her out of here! Now!”</p><p>   "But–“</p><p>   "Buck and I can handle this, just get her back to the compound. <em>Now</em>, Sam.”</p><p>   Still reluctant to leave his two team-mates to fight the agents, Sam faltered - super-soldiers or not, they were still outnumbered. But one look at Esther’s frail looking body, crumpled on the ground in a puddle of her own blood, set him into action again. He had to fight off a few men on his way to her, but it didn’t take long before he was kneeling by her side, carefully taking her into his arms and flying them out of harms way.</p><p>   If it weren’t for the slow rise and fall of Esther’s chest as they flew through the snowy night, he might have thought she was dead. Her body had healed her enough to keep her teetering on the edge, but Sam couldn’t be sure how much longer she could hold out, and flew faster than he had ever before.</p><p>*</p><p>   Esther finally woke with a start, her body abruptly bolting upright in the bed where she lay, heart thudding violently against her rib cage as she wildly looked around the room. Eyebrows furrowed as she took in her surroundings - a windowsill full of flowers, a balloon that read ‘congratulations’ tied to the end of the bed, a vitals monitor next beeping rapidly in time with her heartbeat. A hospital room. Peculiar, since she hadn’t been a patient in one since gaining her powers. The strangest thing, though, was the blonde super-soldier slumped, fast asleep, in the plastic chair next to her.</p><p>   They’d always had an odd relationship. Friends, but not quite. Their personalities clashed far too often than either of them would like - Esther thought Steve was too serious and uptight, and Steve hated that Esther was nonchalant about <em>everything</em>. And they certainly didn’t have a close enough friendship for her to not be surprised at the sight of him asleep at her bedside. It wasn’t an unwelcome sight - in fact, it was comforting to not wake up alone in an unfamiliar room - just, <em>strange</em>.</p><p>   Suddenly, the memories of a getting shot flooding her brain, Esther threw back the thin duvet and lifted the green hospital gown to inspect her stomach - ignoring the fact that Steve could wake any moment. Met with only the sight of smooth, pale skin, her body sagged as she let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. Dropping the gown and pulling the duvet back over, she laid her head down onto the pillows.</p><p>   Turning her head to face the man next to her, she whispered, throat too dry to speak any louder, “Steve, hey, Steve, wake up.”</p><p>   Slowly stirring from his slumber, Steve’s blue eyes met Esther’s gaze. He looked at her sleepily for a moment, his eyelids blinking against the bright lights of the room, until he seemed to remember where he was. Face dancing through a range of emotions, if she wasn’t wearing her necklace she would have felt as he switched between surprise, relief, guilt - and was that, <em>anger</em>?</p><p>   His mouth gaped open and shut, struggling to find the right words to say, before settling on a lame, “You’re awake.”</p><p>   "I am.“ she croaked out, the sound of her voice sending him into action as he grabbed the cup of water from the table next to her, holding it up to her dry, cracked lips so she could sip. If Esther wasn’t so shook up from waking in a hospital room, she probably would have stopped to appreciate the gentleness in the way Steve held the back of her head, fingers threading between her brunette locks, as he helped her drink.</p><p>   "Bruce thought you’d be out for at least another day.” he said quietly, as he set the cup back down in its place. And, as if already knowing what her question would be, he spoke again, “You’ve been out for four days.”</p><p>   "<em>Four days</em>?“ she repeated incredulously, eyebrows arching.</p><p>   "The bullet,” Steve said grimly, “we think it was meant specifically for you. It was coated in something that was blocking your powers, Bruce will be able to explain it better than I can. But when they finally got it out, your body had to work to fight off whatever it was, and your– <em>fuck</em>, Esther, your heart stopped beating.”</p><p>   "Well shit, somebody really wants <em>me</em> dead, huh? I don’t know if I should be terrified, or flattered, honestly.“</p><p>   "Yeah, somebody really wants you dead, Esther. Enough for them to create a weapon designed specifically for you.” Steve snapped, soft, concerned expression twisting into an exasperated frown, “So for once in your life, can you take <em>something</em> seriously? Why do you always have to make a joke out of everything?”</p><p>   "Who said I wasn’t taking it seriously?“ Esther bit back, unable to tame her temper, violet eyes fiercely glaring back at him, "Just because I’m not reacting the way <em>you</em> want me to, doesn’t mean I’m not taking it seriously. I’m <em>so</em> sorry I don’t act like I permanently have a stick lodged up my ass, like some people I know.”</p><p>   "I’d rather act like–“</p><p>   Whatever undoubtedly scathing retort Steve had planned died on his tongue, as Sam and Natasha came barrelling through the open door, both grinning from ear to ear at the sight of their friend awake. Esther suddenly felt a lot lighter, tension spilling from her body like a deflating balloon, quickly sitting up – ignoring the fuzziness in her head at the abrupt movement – to greet two of her favourite people.</p><p>   Natasha was the first to talk, as he made himself comfortable in the chair next to Steve, who had tried to smile lightheartedly at the two, frown leaving his face, "You look like death.”</p><p>   Coming from anybody else, Esther might have had some colourful words to say, but she couldn’t help the giggle at her best friend’s brutal honesty. Although there was no longer a wound there, her stomach stung painfully as her body shook with laughter. The way her face twitched, an attempt at disguising the wince of pain, didn’t go unnoticed by Steve, who was still eyeing her cautiously.</p><p>   "Yeah well, give a girl a break! Steve says my heart stopped beating, so I technically died,“ Esther said, jutting her lip out into a pout, discreetly pressing her hands against her cramping stomach underneath the blankets.</p><p>   Remembering the balloon tied to the bottom of her bed, Esther turned to Sam, who was leaning against the windowsill, watching on with an amused smirk, "Was this your doing, Wilson?” she asked, nodding her head towards the object in question.</p><p>   "I figured it was only right to congratulate you on not dying,“ Sam explained, a boyish grin on his face as he fiddled with the ribbon keeping it tied to the bed.</p><p>   As the three of them burst into laughter at Sam’s morbid joke, the legs of Steve’s chair scraped loudly against the floor with a squeak whilst he stood, storming out of the room without another word.</p><p>   "What’s up his ass?” Natasha asked, now lounging at the bottom of the bed, forcing Esther to either move her feet out of the way or be crushed.</p><p>   Esther shrugged, staring at the doorway with a frown, “I ask myself that every day.”</p><p>   "He’s been an even bigger ass than usual the last few days,“ Sam admitted, sitting in Steve’s now vacated seat, "he’s been badgering the doctors and nurses non-stop, and he just about had a fit whenever somebody told him to leave. To be honest I think that’s one of the only times I’ve seen him willingly leave the room since you’ve been out,”</p><p>   Stunned into silence, Esther fiddled with the pendant on her necklace. A tinge of guilt now stained the unbridled frustration she had felt towards the super-soldier just moments ago. She couldn’t help the corners of her mouth curling into a ghost of a smile as she imagined Steve, stubborn as ever, refusing to leave her side, sleeping in that uncomfortable plastic chair just so he didn’t have to go. It wasn’t completely out of character for him to be so caring, but Esther had never thought that side of him extended to her.</p><p>   Sam and Natasha shared a secret, knowing look between each other whilst they waited for her to snap out of it.</p><p>   Although content to sit there and ponder Steve’s motives for another moment longer, the sound of her stomach grumbling loudly brought her back into the room.</p><p>   "I need a burger.“</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>